Warbands and Wyters

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2005 12:58:26 -0700


> > > Does the same apply to warbands? Or not? I saw the tribal
> > warband as being a
> > > distinct group, and higher-quality than the various clan warbands.
> >
> > Yep. You'd basically have a Tribal Warband (made up of the
> > clan warbands) and a Tribal Fyrd (made up of clan fyrds).
>
> So the "yep" was actualy a "nope"? No, the tribal warband is *not* a
> distinct entity of higher standard? Despite the higher ratings given to it
> in the background books?

No, the "yep" was a "yes" (hmm, this is getting tangled). The tribal warband *is* a distinct entity (seperate from the tribal fyrd) of higher standard, and is composed of clan warbands.

Or do you mean tribal warband vrs clan warbands? The "core" of the tribal warband is probably the clan warband of the tribal king's clan. He probably has more "disposable income" to attract (one should not say "hire" though that's really what it comes down to) better weaponthanes, and kit them out in better gear, than a clan chief. The tribal warband leader is most likely a member of the Royal clan, or will be closely allied. he'll be the best qualified for the post from a rather small pool of candidates - do you want the guy with 18w2, but who is from a not-all-that-allied clan, or a 5W2 who is your brother with "love Family 10W2"?

> > The warband can travel outside the
> > borders of the clan and act offensively
> > because it has it's own wyter, that they can carry outside the tula
> > boundaries.
>
> Right down to Whitewall, say?

Anywhere it wants. a Clan warband is a heroband composed of fighters (mostly) who are all related to each other. Like any other heroband.

> > For a fyrd to act offensively in
> > foreign tulas/lands, they'd have to take the clan/tribal
> > wyter object with them.
>
> And I don't for one moment believe that many of them have done this at WW.

Very unlikely. Lose the wyter, and the clan is toast.

> Not the Sartarite fyrds, anyway, and the Volsaxi ones are in their own
lands
> so it doesn't apply. What, if anything, have they got? And bearing this in
> mind, would we agree that what Sartarite clans send is the warband, not
the
> fyrd? Even if this means half the members of the fyrd joining the warband?

Sounds right to me. Though the sartarite clans may have two "warbands" going - one at WW, and one back on the clan lands. It would take a good lot of convincing to get a clan to let *every* warrior in the clan run off to far-away lands. The question would be one of "which warband gets the old and powerful wyter, and which has to make due with a new and not as experienced one?"

RR
C'est par mon ordre et pour le bien de l'Etat que le porteur du pr�sent a fait ce qu'il a fait.
- Richelieu

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